Solving the involuntary displacement of East Austin’s long-term residents requires a new shared prosperity approach. Modernizing Austin’s housing development policies and increasing local affordable housing subsidies will ensure Central and West Austin do their fair share to meet regional housing demand.

Yesterday, I attended AURA’s panel on the proposed Travis County Civil and Family Complex. This project is commonly referred to as the “new Courthouse”. What follows is my transcription of the panel’s discussion.

I asked a dozen of the most policy-minded critics of the “mansion exemption” for alternative ways of spending approximately $30 million annually to boost Austin’s affordability. Here are the four main themes that came across in their responses.

The 20% homestead exemption’s dollars flow to the district’s with the highest median incomes.